Wissink

I built this system a few months ago and had a lot of issues at the beginning. Most of the time it would not POST. I brought it into the shop and they told me that my evga 8800 gt sli setup had compatibility issues with my asus p5n32 e sli mobo and that I had to either get a new mobo or new video cards. They also said that the cards worked when tested elsewhere. After weeks of frustration and countless extra dollars (I've skipped all the details about the network specialist from nerds on site). I ended up getting 2 bfg 8600 gt's and everything worked immediately. The 8800's ended up back in the static bags and swept under the rug (in the desk). Now a few months later I am again attempting to prove to myself that $500 wasn't wasted. I've noticed countless setups in forums that match my setup exactly without any problems.

I'm at a loss.

Again the problem is:
8600 gt sli works flawlessly
8800 gt (either card or sli) won't post let alone flicker the monitor. (cards were tested at the shop and aren't damaged)
Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. Here's CPU Z's info.
CPU-Z 1.46 report file
Processor(s)

Number of processors 1
Number of cores 4 per processor
Number of threads 4 per processor
Name Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Code Name Kentsfield
Specification Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz
Package Socket 775 LGA
Family/Model/Stepping 6.F.B
Extended Family/Model 6.F
Core Stepping G0
Technology 65 nm
Core Speed 2400.1 MHz
Multiplier x Bus speed 9.0 x 266.7 MHz
Rated Bus speed 1066.7 MHz
Stock frequency 2400 MHz
Instruction sets MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, EM64T
L1 Data cache (per processor) 4 x 32 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L1 Instruction cache (per processor) 4 x 32 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L2 cache (per processor) 2 x 4096 KBytes, 16-way set associative, 64-byte line size

Chipset & Memory

Northbridge NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI SPP rev. A2
Southbridge NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI MCP rev. A3
Graphic Interface PCI-Express
PCI-E Link Width x16
PCI-E Max Link Width x16
Memory Type DDR2
Memory Size 4096 MBytes
Memory Frequency 400.0 MHz (2:3)
CAS# Latency (tCL) 6.0 clocks
RAS# to CAS# (tRCD) 6 clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 6 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS) 18 clocks
Bank Cycle Time (tRC) 24 clocks
Command Rate (CR) 2T

System

System Manufacturer System manufacturer
System Name System Product Name
System S/N System Serial Number
Mainboard Vendor ASUSTeK Computer INC.
Mainboard Model P5N32-E SLI
BIOS Vendor Phoenix Technologies, LTD
BIOS Version ASUS P5N32-E SLI ACPI BIOS Revision 1403
BIOS Date 01/24/2008

Memory SPD

Module 1 DDR2, PC2-6400 (400 MHz), 2048 MBytes, OCZ
Module 2 DDR2, PC2-6400 (400 MHz), 2048 MBytes, OCZ

Software

Windows Version Microsoft Windows Vista (6.0) Home Premium Edition Service Pack 1 (Build 6001)
DirectX Version 10.0

Thanks for your help =)

magnethead

you skipped the most important part: power supply.

You need a high--ranking corsair, thermaltake toughpower, or PC power and cooling 750 or higher PSU for a pair of 88's.

Wissink

I was wondering if that might be it. The shop guys said it was fine. I believe the psu is a cooler master 610w or 650w sli ready. Something like that.
So you believe 100-200 watt increase would solve the issue?

FreoHeaveho

In this case, i would be very suprised if that PSU would prevent you from posting at all.

Make sure you have the latest bios updates (for your cards) from here: http://www.evga.com/support/drivers/...t.asp?switch=2 (released to improve motherboard compatiability)

Also make sure you have the latest bios updates for your motherboard: http://support.asus.com/download/dow...Language=en-us
(you need an update here regardless - yours is outdated).

Also, have you tried a different SLI bridge? Cleaned the PCIe slots with compressed air? Updated drivers etc.

Wissink

First, thanks for your help.

Second, I forgot to mention that it wouldn't POST with either 8800 gt inserted individually or in sli. Also, I just updated the bios to 1403 i believe and now it won't POST with any of the four cards. Do you recommend a CMOS reset? I'm a little nervous about totally bricking the board let alone everything else. BTW I updated the bios via the bios ezflash utility not the windows update method. it worked just fine until it finished and restarted. It never came back on. The fans run fine on everything, just nothing gets displayed. I am beginning to regret not paying someone to build it in the first place. I think it would have been significantly cheaper and more hassle free. I'm sure I've learned a lto in the process. I just wish the process would end. =) Thanks for your help.

Wissink

Ok well, I reset the CMOS using the push pin and it posted using hte 86's sli setup. Again no 8800 POST on its own.

FreoHeaveho

WHat about my other two suggestions, new sli bridge and getting the cards themselves flashed? I believe this will help, although you may need to do it on another machine.

Wissink

Trouble is, we only have a toshiba a30 notebook, circa '03. Unless there is some kind of patch cable that could be used, I'd probably have to bring it into a shop, or wait till I go to my dad's place 500 km away.

Would the sli bridge work with some cards and not others? I'm asking because sli does work with the 8600's.

Again, thanks.

FreoHeaveho

Contact EVGA, they will frequently flash the cards for you to make them more compatiable with PCIe 1.1 boards...